Fakes, etc.

I'll begin populating this page with photos of reproductions, fakes and fantasy items as I see them listed on eBay, Etsy and other such sites. Hopefully, collectors will refer to this page to minimize the occasions reproductions, fakes and fantasy items are unknowingly purchased. If you see something on this page that was sold to you purporting to be a vintage item, immediately send it back for a full refund. 

Yellow Halloween Lantern Head Back Cat Confectionery Candy Bisque/Card Box c1930

This is a fantasy item I've not seen before, so prepare to see many more of them over the year. This abomination is being sold by a dealer in England who claims to have only a pair to sell. (Trust me, if this sells to an under-informed bidder for solid dollars, this seller will surely discover some more!) The claim in the listing's headline is that this item is from the 1930s - a claim not made in the body of the listing. This is not old and has zero collectible value.

03/21 Update: Two bidders got snookered by prevailing on these two lots with the exact same bid - $127.50. Prepare to see more of this fake. 

Vintage ANTIQUE Halloween PAPER MACHE Pumpkin BLACK CAT Nut Cup Candy Container

Unfortunately, the person who bought this may not have known that it is a fairly new item made by Seasons Gone By. The seller, alerted to this fact, certainly did nothing to illuminate the questionable provenance. A long-time collector and reader of this blog contacted me recently to relate the email conversation she had with this seller. I reproduce this for you now: 

This cup was made in the 1990s by a company called Season Gone By and their mark has been removed from the underside. I suggest you correct the listing.

I know that company and am familiar with their reproductions, this is not made by seasons gone by, I bought it in a lot of Halloween antiques, some had scrapes on the bottom like this one and some did not, I just sold a vintage nut cut that was in the same lot, it was intact on the bottom and did not have any makers marks... There is no reason for me to assume this one is made by seasons gone by. I am very clear in my description about this item.

This is a dealer whose listings I'll be watching very carefully.

WONDERFUL VINTAGE GERMAN DAPPER BLACK CAT ON PUMPKIN CANDY CONTAINER

As the seller intimates, this is a reproduction. (I could tell the moment I saw the photo.) As written in the caption of the real deal shown on page 69: "Reproduced versions of this container with a smaller pumpkin base were made beginning in the mid-1990s. These new versions tend to be heavier and lack the detailing of the originals." This item has no collectible value and is certainly worth nothing close to what this seller has established as the opening price. 

08/16 Update: I was sorry to see some poor sap wasted $172.38 on this reproduction.